Practitioner Stories

Anxiety & Depression

In my clinical practice, I have used CES Micro Current Therapy for the last 10 years eliminating stress and anxiety disorders. Recently I have integrated the Alpha-Stim 100 as a treatment modality for golfers, and an integral component of training with the Inner Play Golf System. The results have proven to be substantially impressive.

I have found that with the use of the Alpha-Stim 100, the golfer has an increase of focus, which promotes a correct rhythmic golf swing. It calms the player’s pre-tournament anxiety. It has, also, improved the player’s visualization for successful golf play; which, in turn, produces an increase of self-confidence.

As a low handicap golfer myself, I have personally used the Alpha-Stim 100 to enhance my play and achieved extraordinary results. My partner, Ron Pelton, PGA golf professional and consultant, has, also, used the Alpha-Stim 100 competitively with great success.

– Gary Strahle, Ph.D., FAACS

My Office Manager was missing a lot of work due to severe depression and anxiety for which she did not want to take medication. After four solid weeks of using the Alpha-Stim for depression and anxiety, she is happier, calm, and quite serene. She is even handling high stress aspects of her job much more effectively than I’ve ever seen her do before.

I am very pleased with the performance of the Alpha-Stim in relation to my Office Manager’s depression and anxiety. Because of her success, I’m using the Alpha-Stim on my clients that experience depression and anxiety as well as insomnia. These clients notice a marked difference after just one session.

I am also excited about using this product for those patients of mine that have pain. With the excellent results I’ve seen for anxiety, depression and insomnia, I’m expecting the same when I use it for pain.

–Dee Ann Newbold, L.Ac.

I bought an Alpha-Stim to try on people with ADD and soon found that it is one of the most calming experiences that I can offer my patients or myself.

My diastolic blood pressure dropped from 82 to 70 within a month as it did for many of my patients. My patients report that it has improved their responses to the medications that they take, that it helps them feel better without medication and that it improves their response to neurofeedback.

Several bipolar teenagers have done considerably better with Alpha-Stim. Adults who are stressed and/or anxious usually respond within about 10 minutes. One boy with a tic disorder doesn’t tic as long as he uses the Alpha-Stim in the morning and another, with severe OCD who was on 300 mg a day of Zoloft without full benefit, stopped his frequent repetitive rituals almost immediately.

So it sounds too good to be true, and I would not have believed that something as simple as this could be so effective unless I had seen it myself. I have found the Alpha-Stim both good for me, my patients and for my business, as nearly 85% percent of the patients who tried it bought one for home use.

– Henry Mann, MD

I received my Alpha-Stim 100 about two weeks ago and have used it in several circumstances. Being a physician who specializes in complex medical problems, I have had the opportunity to use it on patients with severe status asthmaticus unresponsive to medications. Not only did it reduce their anxiety but also caused sufficient bronchodilation to allow the patients to leave the office shortly after.

One patient was about to be hospitalized, and 20 minutes of Alpha-Stim in selected areas provided her enough relief to go home!

In addition, we have had several acute anxiety attacks and migraines easily controlled after 20 minutes of the Alpha-Stim use.

I am excited to explore many more avenues of use for the Alpha-Stim. I have had previous experience with other electrical stimulators and, although their success has been encouraging, the healing currents available with the Alpha-Stim provide a whole new horizon for healing, rather than simply endorphin release.

I am not sure where the Alpha-Stim will take us, but I am excited for having this added to my practice for difficult cases.

– Jeremy E. Kaslow, MD, FACP, FACAI

Insomnia

I am an acupuncturist in a busy pain clinic and have been using the Alpha-Stim 100 for nearly three months. The first time I used the Alpha-Stim, I was impressed by the results. I have been using it every day since, and the results continue to impress me.

With it, I have successfully treated all manner of pain syndromes, including back pain of all varieties, migraines, elbow pain, knee pain, shoulder pain, painful scars, post-surgical pain, and the list goes on. I have also used the unit successfully in treating depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fertility. It combines wonderfully with acupuncture and has greatly enhanced my effectiveness as a practitioner.

Thank you for bringing this device to market and for your contribution to the medical cannon. Your product and your expertise have helped me to help many people.

– Michael Hunter, M.Ac., L.Ac., Dipl.Ac.

I am writing to praise the Alpha-Stim 100 both as patient and a professional. I have been using the product for only 10 days and I have noticed significant improvements in my energy level, mood, and pain. I have reduced the amount of medication I take for pain, anxiety, and depression.

My sleep cycle has improved dramatically. Prior to using Alpha-Stim 100, I never felt as though I could completely fall asleep at night. I woke up multiple times through the night to change positions and get comfortable. I was tired every morning and hit snooze button on the alarm 2 or more times. Since I started using the Alpha-Stim 100, I sleep all night long and have no recollection of waking up to change positions. I even wake feeling fully rested prior to the alarm. My goal is to gradually decrease my medication until I am free.

As a physical therapist, I am looking forward to helping my patients with this product, especially individual who do not seem to respond with traditional therapy treatments.I felt blessed to have been introduced to your product. Thank you very much for this opportunity to respond.

– Donna Hunn, PT

I would have to say at least 60-75% of patients get a reasonable measure of benefit from Alpha-Stim CES, enough to purchase a unit. I would say 25-40% get a dramatic effect. Sleep>anxiety>depression. Some get TMJ and headache relief. Very few have side effects. MET is less powerful of a sustained effect than CES.

Overall, it is a great product; we are happy that we have incorporated it into the practice.

– Eric Hassid

Pain

I am working hard to recover from pancreatic cancer. This disease causes pain and fatigue. I have utilized numerous treatment modalities to help me cope with the pain. I have found that the Alpha-Stim alone, Alpha-Stim combined with other modalities helps tremendously.
The Alpha-Stim device often reduced/eliminated my pain within minutes. The Alpha-Stim has been wonderful. I relied principally on use of the four pads but also found the probes and the ear clips helpful. I am not engaged in electromedical research, but I know pain relief when I experience it and wanted to write to you and share my experience with you.

–Richard S. Weiner, PhD

The Marine Corps continues to look for “a few good men” while we in medicine search diligently for the “panacea.” Our doctor bag is full of injectables, pills and hope. Thankfully, we have another tool to help chronic pain patients. In the last twenty years we have been graced with H-2 antagonists and the Alpha-Stim stimulator which has made a dramatic impact on symptomology.

Colleagues, the proof is “in the pudding.” From our DSHS office in Port Angeles, Mr. Bob Zendel sends us their chronic pain patients. We utilize the Alpha-Stim stimulator every day in our clinic and find it to be the mainstay of our chronic care patients With the success of the Alpha-Stim stimulator we have seen costs in physical therapy, medications and clinic visits decrease.

–Rick Weaver, PA-C – Clinical

The Alpha-Stim is undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools in our armamentarium for treating pain. I have been using the Alpha-Stim since 1982 with tremendous success in relieving and/or managing pain for patients. The in-office use, as well as home use, of the various units is very predictable and tremendously beneficial.

I look forward to additional innovations in this creative field of electromedicine. Microcurrent therapy is one of the most efficient and responsive physical medicine modalities available. Keep up the good work.

–Robert L. Talley, D.D.S.

I would have never thought that I would be telling this sort of story or that I would become a proponent of a specific medical intervention but I have to share my experiences with the Alpha-Stim 100.

My wife is totally disabled. Following an injury seven years ago she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. This illness has expressed itself with depression, impaired concentration and memory, fatigue, intractable pain and debilitating migraines. During the course of her illness we have tried everything. In the spirit of brevity I will not be specific but believe me when I say everything.

October of 2002 a patient of mine, also with fibromyalgia, offered to loan me her Alpha-Stim 100. She had received it several years ago while attending a pain clinic in Washington state and found it beneficial. I accepted the loan of the Alpha-Stim with ambivalence. As I mentioned we have tried everything. There are three ways of applying the Alpha-Stim. Electrodes that clip to the ears, electrodes with adhesive that can be applied to the skin, and electrodes attached to a plastic pen like structure, which are designed to be moved from point to point. My patient included some protocols for all three modalities. The electrodes produce a small pulse of electricity and which is called Microcurrent Electrical Therapy (MET).

The Alpha-Stim sat around for several days. Actually I had accepted the loan more as a courtesy than an experiment. One evening my wife began to complain of a migraine. The usual procedure was for her to then take a Zomig. Wait 30 minutes and, in almost all cases, then take an Imitrex injection, lay down for a couple of hours and get up with a “bruised head.” On that night I used the Alpha-Stim. I used the probes and followed the protocol for head and neck pain. The treatment consisted of ten second applications of the probes bilaterally to several points on the head, neck and shoulders. The total time was about three minutes. My wife sat quietly while I followed the protocol, I must say with ambivalence, fully expecting to be sent for the Zomig and the Imitrex.

Three minutes later I asked how she was and her reply was, “Much better. I’m back to my usual level of pain.” She later noted that she went from a nine to a two. I was still ambivalent…. Placebo effect? The great healing hands of the old husband? Nurturing? I wasn’t sure but I was interested.

We had the same results with two subsequent migraines (at least weekly occurrences). About that time my wife began using the ear clip application once a day for 45 minutes. Currently she uses the clips twice a day for 20 minutes each time.

In November we asked our physician to prescribe an Alpha-Stim. He rolled his eyes, commented that it was “harmless,” and wrote the prescription. We returned to our physician in early February. We told him that my wife had not filled a prescription for her migraine medication since October. She still has her Imitrex and Zomig from that October prescription. She reported no migraines for the last twelve weeks. She also noted that she felt less depressed, has more energy and improved concentration.

I have watched her return to cooking, an activity that she had been unable to organize or accomplish for several years, increase her activity with her grandchildren and house chores all while demonstrating an improved mood and affect. Her concentration improved and family members began to remark that mom was, “more with it.” Use of pain medication decreased. Now I was really interested and so was my physician.

We continued to use the Alpha-Stim as mentioned above. We seldom have to use the probes for head pain but we are using applications for back and leg pain prn. I have even begun using the ear clips myself for 20 minutes every other day and find them to be relaxing.

Exploring the literature increased my interest. There is research showing benefits in the treatment of pain, anxiety, depression, insomnia, fibromyalgia, substance abuse inpatient treatment, MS etc. I have used the ear clips to treat anxiety and depression with some of my patients and have found mild to marked benefits reported. In patients who are suffering from chronic pain use of the ear clips is usually accompanied by an increase in energy, mood and in most cases a reported decrease in pain. The concomitant conditions of chronic pain, anxiety and depression would seem to argue that reduction in one area could well be expected to bring about improvement in another. Of course the Alpha-Stim 100 does not help everybody, nor does penicillin for that matter, but I am very interested in seeing that this method of treatment be made available to appropriate patients and that physicians learn of this treatment modality.

Several of my patients are being prescribed the Alpha-Stim by their physicians usually with the same eye rolling that our family physician used at the beginning. I look forward to their input and working in conjunction with them using the Alpha-Stim. By the way, I have loaned our family doc an Alpha-Stim and he was delighted. He’s experimenting, and learning as I write.

The best thing I can say is that my wife is better, not cured but markedly better. Better than the Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor, Zanaflex, Oxicodone, acupuncture, physical therapy, herbs, supplements, support groups, message, chiropractic, Imitrex, Zomig, Maltrex had ever accomplished in combination or by themselves. We still use some antidepressants and pain meds but have plans for the reductions of both. No migraine medications in almost twenty weeks! No migraines! Depression markedly improved!

Thanks for your time. I hope that I did not go on to long, it’s just that I have watched the decline of my wife and lived with her disability for seven years now, so I am a real sucker for IMPROVEMENT!

–Timothy C. Short, Psy.D